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"I sincerely hope UNESCO rejects the claim that the government is doing enough."

Earlier this year, the Australian and Queensland governments released the first annual report on the implementation of a 35-year plan to safeguard the reef.

Australia is relying on its Reef 2050 Plan to convince the UNESCO to keep the Great Barrier Reef off its list of World Heritage sites in danger, and has to provide an official status update to the UN body next month.

But many scientists have savaged the plan, saying it's designed to address water quality problems and studiously avoids addressing climate change threats to the reef.

A spokesman for the minister said Australia was on track to meet commitments outlined in the plan, and under the Paris climate change pact would cut its carbon emissions by 26 to 28 per cent below 2005 levels, by 2030.

But when it comes to emissions from the 60 million tonnes of coal Adani's Carmichael mine will export to India each year, that's not Australia's accounting problem.

India must account for those when it burns Australia's coal at its power plants.

A recent review by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) found existing international efforts to cut emissions are well short of what's needed to achieve the Paris pact goal of limiting warming to two degrees or less.

The UNEP's chief scientist Jacqueline McGlade said new coal projects are "entirely contradictory" to efforts to curb the carbon emissions trajectory.

"Anything that leads to an increase in greenhouse gases we see as detrimental," Prof McGlade said.

"From an environmental perspective it's just a no go [for new coal]."

Queensland's environment department said mining projects, including Adani, were subject to strict conditions under state and federal legislation.

The state government was focusing on improving water quality and had committed an extra $90 million over four years to that end, as well as implementing $57 million worth of investments in water quality this financial year.